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Search Engine Marketing
No matter what type of business or field you’re in, one of the most important things is your presence on the web.
If people can’t find you when they’re looking for the product or service that you offer, chances are, your business won’t do very well. The Yellow Pages are a thing of the past. Some companies are happy using only search engine optimization (SEO), so their search results appear organically on a search engine result page (SERP).
However, others want to go a step beyond and hire a search engine marketing agency to make sure there is no doubt their brand will be noticed. While some may use SEM (search engine marketing) and SEO interchangeably, they are not the same.
What is Search Engine Marketing?
Several years ago, it was more common to say SEM and SEO and assume they mean the same thing. However, as Google’s algorithms began to change, so did the meaning of the two acronyms.
SEO refers to more organic results. This means that your website is optimized with keyword-rich copy to appear higher in the search engine results.
If you’re using a search engine marketing firm and have opted for SEM, you are paying Google (or another search engine) for sponsored ads. While this may sound like a simple thing you can do yourself, it’s a somewhat complex process.
How Does SEM Work?
Before you contact a search engine and say that you want to place a sponsored ad, you’ll have to put some thought into how you want to handle an ad campaign. This is where a search engine marketing consultant or firm can provide valuable advice.
Consider this four-step process:
- Select the keywords that are best suited for your product or service after conducting research (often with the aid of an analytic tool).
- Decide on the geographic location. Are you concentrated only on local search engine marketing, or is your product or service offered nationwide or even globally?
- Write the ad how you want it to appear when a potential customer or client searches for this product or service.
- Bid on a price that you are willing to pay per click for your ad or when they’re exposed to your ad (an impression).
If you’re working with Google, the auction process can become quite complicated, as you are scored not only on the price of your bid but also on the quality of your ad.
It is possible to “win” the auction with the lowest bid if your quality score is high, as this is Google’s most important metric. So, the quality of your ads and the keywords within them (i.e., not keyword-stuffed) are the most important metric to Google.
If it’s your first time working with SEM, it may be wise to work with a firm with years of experience to lead you in the right direction. Of course, your ads don’t always have to be a text wall, either.
You can use other tools, such as video marketing and YouTube ads, and make even more of an impact.
To find out more about how we can improve your website traffic through search engine marketing or if you have questions about the process, contact us at MDINC. today by calling (844) 850 4466 or emailing admin@mdinc.co.